


Tales of Reconsideration

by Celirian



Series: More Tales [3]
Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Gen, Guilds, past conflict
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-24 01:52:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10731687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celirian/pseuds/Celirian
Summary: Brave Vesperia found out the job they took was double booked with another guild. Of course it had to be the Hunting Blades.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an collaboration I wrote with an old friend of mine, Legi. Links to her page are in my Tales of the Campfire story! This short is also part of that series, but not part of the that main story line. If that makes any sense? 
> 
> Anywho, I always loved the way Karol grew up so much in the game and I always wanted him to stick it to Clint and the others. So here we go!

It all started with a job offer.

Yuri had seen it stuck up on one of the bulletin boards and brought it in to Headquarters, where he proceeded to fold it into a paper airplane and throw it at Karol’s head. After making a rude hand gesture from across the room, the decision to take the job was a no-brainer. Seriously, a giant starfish terrorizing the inhabitants around Mantaic?

Like any of them could leave  _ that _ alone.

Karol remembered those thrice-damned starfish, the ones that liked so much to sneak up on them and let loose an ear-splitting screech every time they got hit, and the idea of getting rid of one as a guild was just too tempting to pass up.

So he had one of the new members compose a letter accepting the job and send it off and it was but a day before a response arrived:  _ Yes, thank you, come as quickly as you can. I’ll pay you when the job is completed _ .

So off they went, leaving the base in Dahngrest to make their way to Mantaic, and it wasn’t hard to see that this thing was being just as much of a menace as the letter had described; smashed buildings and rubble everywhere, injuries on citizens that shouldn’t exist, a general feeling of fear and anxiety in the people that Karol was all too familiar with. Briefly, Karol wondered why no one had called the knights but remembered that, despite all of Flynn’s best efforts, it was still taking a lot of work to regain the faith of the people, and in this case coin was more reliable than faith when it came to getting help.

There were five of them for this: Karol, Yuri, and three others. Heron and Jackson were both relatively new and Karol had thought that this would be a good way to get them to dip their toes in without putting them in too much danger; they’d be fine as long as they followed orders. Then there was Cyrus. Cyrus was the first person outside of their friends to join Brave Vesperia and had, over time, become a linchpin to the guild. A local to Dahngrest with an empty resume and a predilection for organization, punctuality, and overkill, he’d come into Headquarters on a mission, put their paperwork to rights, and never once looked back.

Said local to Dahngrest was currently walking side-by-side with Heron and regaling her with tales of his youth that had her wide-eyed and horrified.

“You can’t do—you’re lying to me,” she said, closing her eyes and plugging her ears as she walked, “I’m just going to go ahead and pretend that there was a punchline after that, okay? Ha ha ha, very funny joke.”

“I thought you capital girls were the more loose-laced types.”

“L-loose-laced—?” Heron sputtered with righteous indignation and was cut off when Yuri came up behind her and slapped her on the shoulder.

“Now now, Cyrus,” he said loftily, “Heron here is a good, law-abiding young lady…” he smirked, “Until she went and got herself kicked out of the knights and fell right into our patty palms.” Heron dropped her face into her hands and sighed but allowed herself to be led along with a resignation that came only from a lifetime of being friends with Jackson and a natural inclination for taking orders.

A few strides ahead of the lot of them, Karol raised his eyes skyward and, not for the first time, wondered what the hell he was even doing with his life.

Running a guild was no easy task even with sharing the hardest parts with Yuri and it was a rare day that he actually felt like he knew what he was running towards, but at least these days he wasn’t running by himself.

Once inside the town, they stopped near the remnants of someone’s home and formed a loose, half ring to make a game plan.

“Okay,” Karol said once everyone was focused and ready to work, shifting his ax on his shoulder, “This thing’s gonna be huge, okay? First, we’re going to—what the heck?”

Standing in a cluster by one of the damaged stalls were people he’d never be able to forget and at his exclamation, the tallest of them glanced up. 

“Karol?”

“Clint! What are you guys doing here?”

There was Clint and Tison, Nan with them as well, along with a few others that Karol didn’t recognize. He would have known that guild even if Clint hadn’t been there; he’d know the helmets and pelts anywhere.

“We were signed on for a job here. What are  _ you _ doing here?”

Karol couldn’t do anything but gape for a good ten seconds, mouth opening but no words coming out. This wasn’t right! Not that he had a problem with working with the other guild, but the client hadn’t said anything about booking anyone other than them.

Cyrus shifted behind him and Heron looked anxious and it was finally Yuri who snapped in with an irritated and rather sarcastic,

“ _ We  _ were signed on for a job here, too. I can’t imagine what it could be.” As if on cue, something exploded from the other side of town and sent a plume of smoke up into the sky.

Clint eyed the smoke in the air before looking over the group warily. He turned to Yuri crossing his massive arms over his chest. “What kind of job?”

“A ‘stop the terrorizing starfish’ kind of job.” Yuri didn’t need to wait for any spoken response; the instantaneous red flush across Clint’s face was enough. “Lemme go out on a limb here and say you’re here for the same thing.”

“Oh you have  _ got _ to be kidding me!” Nan’s high pitched whine made Yuri’s ears twitch. 

_ Damn, here it comes… _

“He double booked us? Not to mention he hired  _ you _ of all people. Talk about a lack of faith in our skills; this is just insulting.”

Yuri bit his tongue (literally); it was the only way he could keep himself from snapping one of his snarky retorts back at her. He never liked Nan all that much; she held her nose pretty high in the air and jumped to conclusions faster than Raven jumped to hitting on a new girl (or getting rejected by said new girl) at the tavern and if that wasn’t some kind of record to beat he would eat his hand bracer. He knew the girl didn’t have the best childhood stories to tell, but sometimes he felt she was being just a little  _ too _ needlessly harsh; especially towards certain people.

No one needed to ask who she was talking about, or too, in this case; her eyes were narrowed right at Karol like an unwanted sunbeam on a hot day. In response Karol had that pained looked he always got when Nan was around or spoken of or when he thought about her (which he tended to do a lot). It was the look of a kid who knows they’ve disappointed someone they really look up to. Some sort of mixture of anger at himself and helplessness in the face of never being able to live up to the standards that Karol seemed to think others have set for him.

It always made Yuri livid. Karol had worked so hard and changed so much from the time he first met him, but Nan was something the young teen couldn’t quite get out of his system. He doesn’t blame him for it either. Karol doesn’t talk about his past a lot, but Yuri knows snip-it’s from here and there. He has a deep loyalty to Clint and Nan; they taught him a lot and Karol uses that knowledge every day. He sees them, especially Nan, as mentors and friends. They might not have treated him very kindly, but they were still nicer to him than a lot of the other guilds Karol had been in. 

A flurry of cracking came from Jackson as he bent his fingers down one at a time. The martial artist took a step forward holding his fists up and tossing his low slug brown pony tail over his shoulder to stand in a fighting stance. Regardless of the fact that he was one of the newest members of the guild Jackson was fiercely loyal to Karol and he respected Karol’s strength despite his age.  Spirits only know he wasn’t nearly that strong even a few years ago. “What did you just say?” 

Nan put a hand on her hip and turned to Jackson. “Don’t make me repeat myself. This is a job to kill a monster; it’s for Hunting Blades, not a baby guild like yours.” She looked from Jackson to Heron, scrutinizing every detail from their shoes to their hair. “How many missions have you been on anyway? You’ve both got all the tells of first timers.”

“That’s none of your business.” Cyrus said stepping up next to and just a little in front of Heron. 

“But this is your first big one isn’t it?” Tison hissed air between his teeth, ignoring Cyrus completely. “You’re just going to just get in our way. We were here first and that monster is  _ ours _ .”

Jackson cut the air with his arm. “A monster isn’t something to be claimed! We’re here to help the people of Mantaic, not for our own pleasure.”

Yuri held up a hand and quickly put himself between Nan and the others, he knew Jackson meant well, even if he was a bit hot headed (they would have to work on that), but the last thing they needed was to get into a useless clash of words while the people were living in terror from a monster they were supposed to be getting rid of. 

Looking to Clint, Yuri opened his mouth, but was beat to words by Heron. 

“Why don’t we work together to get rid of this monster? It’ll get the job done quicker and then these people can go back to living their lives. It could be killing people as we stand here arguing!” 

A solid silence fell as Brave Vesperia and Hunting Blades looked each other over. 

Tison burst out laughing; the hood of his jacket almost falling off as he flipped his head back in his mirth. “Right, like we’d stoop so low.”

Clint, on the other hand, eyed each member of Brave Vesperia carefully before finally settling his eyes on Yuri again. “Honestly, I’ve got better places to be, but the Hunting Blades never walk away from a job and from what I’ve heard about Brave Vesperia, neither do you.”

_ Who the what now _ ? 

Yuri blinked and then inwardly smirked as Nan’s face went from its usual smug arrangement to wide eyed and perplexed. Clint hadn’t exactly said yes, but he certainly hadn’t said no either. The guild leader might not abide by laws and rules that he agreed with, but Yuri could tell that Clint knew when to put grudges and tempers aside. 

Realizing that all eyes were on him, except Karol’s, Yuri immediately pointed at Karol. He k new he was going to hear about this later on, but hopefully it would be worth it. This was Karol’s time to step up and show his old guild mates what he had worked so hard to become. It wasn’t easy being a leader, Yuri knew this all too well and he had learned from experience that sometimes it took a little prodding to get the courage to take the helm and do what needed to be done.

“I’m not the one in charge here. You’re going to have to negotiate with the boss on this one.”

Karol jolted a little when Yuri pointed directly at him but covered it with all the professionalism he could muster. It…wasn’t a lot, really, because instead of looking professional he was pretty sure that he flailed a little and proceeded to look slightly constipated. So much for that, he thought with a mental sigh, and threw away the veneer in favor of something a little more honest that showed in the way he shifted on his feet and still found it hard to look Clint in the eyes.

He hadn’t expected to see them here, now.

It was nothing strange to see Hunting Blades around Dahngrest or even some of the other towns, because guilds could get big and expansive and it would be silly to keep everyone in the same place at the same time when there was almost always some kind of work to be done, but still…he wasn’t expecting this.

There was a part of him that wanted to cower every time they showed up, the part of him that used to be a part of that guild, the part of him that failed that guild, the part of him that ran from that guild. The part of him that ran from everything that was hard or scary or new. The part of him that he fought every single time it showed its ugly head, because Karol had other people to look out for.

Worrying his lip between his teeth, Karol turned his head just a bit and came face-to-face with four sets of eyes fixed directly on him. 

They were waiting for him to say something, he realized with a start. This was his call.

A time ago, that thought would have terrified him and to an extent it still did. That much responsibility, people’s lives in his hands, actions in his orders…how could it not?

The ax in his hands was heavy but he could lift it and his people were strong.

Yeah, he used to work under the Hunting Blades but that was all behind him, now. He was in charge of a guild now and they had a job to do, and even if they  _ had _ been double-booked, that didn’t change the fact that they, as a guild, were still obligated to perform that job to the best of their abilities. And Brave Vesperia never stepped down from a challenge.

Ever.

Karol forced himself to stop wringing his hands.

“Jackson, stand down,” he said, sounding more firm than he felt before turning to Clint, “We’re willing to work with you to get rid of this thing. There’s no time to be arguing over who gets the glory. We’re all here and we’re all going to make sure this ends as soon as possible so no one else gets hurt.”

Jackson pointedly stepped back but muttered something unflattering under his breath about Nan and dog whistles, which Karol decided to ignore.  _ Pick your battles _ , he told himself, because at the very least he had his temper under control. Mostly. Which was both more and less than he could say for Heron, who stayed where she was behind Cyrus but continued to bristle with indignation like a fluffed up cat, looking as if she wanted to step forward and give them all a piece of her mind.

And Karol was reminded once again of why exactly she was expelled from the knights and so easily adopted into Brave Vesperia.

Temperamental, the lot of them, and himself included. Somehow, it worked.

Later, he would appreciate the look on Clint’s face but for now, all he had room for to think about was the job and the best way to keep the townspeople, his people, and even the Hunting Blades safe. Why did they always have to run into each other when there was trouble going on? Why couldn’t they ever just be in the same town for a bit, maybe do lunch, maybe do anything outside of fighting? Maybe sort of whatever bad blood remained between them?

And there was a lot of it, Karol knew.

He hadn’t actually gotten a chance to sit down and have a decent conversation with Nan for months; he liked to think that they were friends but sometimes Karol didn’t have half a clue about how she felt or didn’t feel. Half the time, everything that came out of her mouth was so sharp and cutting that by the end of it, all he felt was worn down and tired of all of it.

“Actually, I agree,” the older man said, hefting his heavy blade in his hands and staring down at Karol with a look in his eyes that he’d never seen before, a look that looked suspiciously like something akin to reconsideration, “Let’s just do this. We’ll figure everything out later.”

Just as he said that, there was a screech from just a few streets away and Karol nodded to the people standing behind him. For all of his earlier bluster, Jackson was suddenly looking unsure of himself

“Okay, you guys! It’s pretty close, so let’s do our best. If it’s anything like what we fought in the desert, this thing is gonna be fast. Jackson, you’re with Cyrus, Heron, you stick with Yuri. Do exactly as they tell you and you’ll be just fine. Cyrus, this thing’s got a gem the size of Halure right in the middle. I want you to stay back and lance it until it cracks; Jackson, you stay with him and back him up, everyone else, keep it away from him so he can do his job. Once that happens, we all go in and—well, you know the drill.”

Yuri shot off his usual salute but Heron’s was sharp and snappy; the six months of knight training she’d been through had yet to bleed out of her despite Yuri’s efforts. Karol didn’t mind except that she kept calling him—

“Yes, sir!”

That.

He sighed a little and looked them over, feeling the ground rattle slightly underneath his feet.

“Everyone have plenty of items? Gels, life bottles?”

Cyrus spoke up patting a small, green satchel attached to his belt. “I’ve got us covered chief. We’re waiting for your words.” 

“Brave Vesperia, onwards!”

Karol took off down the road: Heron, Jackson, and Cyrus at his heels; no hesitation in their steps. Yuri turned to follow as Clint pounded off after the group, a few members of his guild following close behind, but froze as he realized Nan and Tison both were still standing in their places.

Completely in shock.

Yuri turned and rested his sword on his shoulder. He wanted to revel in this, seeing two people who prided themselves on being unphaseable stuck in the sand from something he never looked twice at. He cocked his head to the side, allowing a half self-satisfied smirk crawl up one side of his face. “Well? You coming or not?”

Nan visibly flinched at his words. She reached up and unclipped her oversized moon shaped chakram from her back and walked hastily towards the sounds of metal and ear piercing starfish screams. “Of course we’re going; don’t get in our way. Let’s kill this monster and show this baby guild what the Hunting Blades are made of.”

Resisting the urge to put his face in his palm Yuri raced off down the street ignoring Tison’s sling of curses at the monster’s existence—and immediately took a dive to the sand as he rounded a corner and nearly ran headlong into a giant starfish arm. Rolling out of the way he bounded up on his knees to look up at the giant monster. They had fought with dozens of those starfish before at night, out in the never ending Sands of Koggor, but this one beat them all. Standing at least triple his own height, Yuri could hardly follow it. Despite it being larger (and louder which  _ hurt  _ his ears) than the normal ones, it also seemed  _ faster _ . 

Suddenly, Yuri was very glad to have the extra, experienced, hands around. Three practiced fighters and two new recruits alone would have meant a longer and much harder battle than this was look like it was going to be. Clint alone would have been a tide turner; the man was powerful and tough and determined in all the right way, but with Tison and Nan they would hopefully be able to avoid an exhausting and possibly injury ridden fight. 

_ Talk about flinging the new recruits into the job. _

Yuri barely found his feet in time to jump out of the way of a spray of sand and a kick before Heron was at his side defending against the attack, her double wakizashi in her hands. Despite being wide eyed and a bit shaky on her feet she seemed to be holding her own. She would be able settle into the fight once everyone found a place and a rhythm. She might be new, but she was still trained as a knight and she was skilled; she just lacked faith her in her own abilities right now which was something both Yuri and Karol have been working on with her. He was glad he could back her up in this though.

Standing up Yuri nodded a thanks at her. “You and I are going to stick together so don’t wander off to far.”

“You got it.” Heron gave him a small, forced smile. “It’s bigger than I thought it was going to be.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Yuri grinned. “But nothing we can’t handle. The captain will come up with a plan; we just got too hold this thing off until he does.”

Cyrus had taken to the front lines aiming his fierce attacks at the gem in the middle of the starfish while Jackson was doing a good job at playing decoy; going in for a kick or a punch before leaping or flipping away from a counter attack. Karol was smart putting those two together; Jackson had distinctive fighting instincts, so you didn’t have to worry about him as much. 

Yuri looked around at where the hunting Blades had scattered themselves around the street and made a mental note of the weapons they were using. Aside from Clint, Tison, and Nan there was another swordsmen like himself, a bow and arrow user, and a smaller guy with a sling shot (that was a little weird). There were a lot of people to keep track of for just one monster; this was going to be a complicated battle. If the starfish’s speed and strength weren’t enough they were going to have to keep a look out for each other. Between fighters like himself and Heron who needed to be up close there were distance fighters who had to target between those on the front line. 

He didn’t need to watch after Karol; not anymore. Yuri knew where he would be and what he was doing without needing look; which was so very different from when they first started traveling together. He would watch the kid with an unwavering eye; constantly getting ready to cover for an attack left unguarded by fear or a gap in defenses if Karol decided to back off from the fight completely. Not anymore; Karol was up front, in the middle, and taking more than his share of any battle with more spirit than he thought he’d ever see from the young guild leader.

Yuri heard Karol yell out a warning just in time for him to defend against a shockwave large enough to create a small crater around where the monster was standing. There was a loud shout as the Hunting Blade with the sword didn’t defend against the attack which sent him sailing through the air into a building where he dropped hard and didn’t get up. 

Heron gasped and look up at Yuri who nodded. The two made their way around the fray as fast as they could towards the man. Heron dropped down next to him as Yuri kept an eye on the starfish to make sure it wouldn’t get to close. 

Tison spotted them and yelled over the ear splitting cries of the monster. “Leave him! He wasn’t strong enough to take this thing on, then it’s his own damn fault!”

Heron jumped up. “How can you do that to your own man?!”

Yuri shook his head and looked over his shoulder at her. “Don’t bother; these guys have their own way of doing things and they aren’t going to change anytime soon.”

“Is he okay?” Karol suddenly materialized next to them, causing both Yuri and Heron to jump. 

Heron nodded. “Y...yeah, just unconscious.”

“Then let’s go. We’ll cover the area until this thing is out of the range where it can hurt him.”

Yuri nodded and grinned as he let out his Azure Edge attack and dove into the fray; getting lost in a dance that he thrived on. His surroundings blurred as he tuned out the world around him minus his fellow guild mates and the monster they surrounded. They moved together in sync, but each to their own beat only occasionally changing tactics if Karol called out an opening or saw a large attack coming. 

He had almost forgotten about the Hunting Blades.  _ Almost _ , until Nan’s ring blade whizzed by his ear so close Yuri was sure he lost a few hairs. 

“Hey, careful there! I kind of like my hair the way it is.”

“Watch it, I almost took your head off! I thought I said not to get in our way!” Nan hollered just as Yuri had to duck again, and Karol heard her voice in his ears like a distant wind. 

He kept track of his people; Cyrus and Jackson in the back, Heron and Yuri in front to get up close and personal with the massive star. Spirits, but the thing was fast, and to be honest he could stand to be faster. Still, more of his hits landed than didn’t and he dodged more than he didn’t and Karol knew that that was what counted more than finesse or beauty or class.

“Heron, come around this side with me—watch out!” 

The girl made to obey him but wasn’t quite fast enough, catching a blow to the chest that sent her flying into a pile of dinged up trash bins. 

“I’m okay, sir!” she called as she staggered out of them and made her way to Karol’s side –more carefully this time- and together, they bashed it away from where Cyrus was chipping away at the gem with his lance.

“You’re not hurt?” he asked. 

“No, sir!”

“Okay,” he told her, eyeing the rooftops with a scrutinizing stare. The thing was too tall and he couldn’t jump; too fast and he couldn’t land the kind of blows he needed to. Karol was a guild leader and he absolutely would not just stand here and let his teammates do all the work. “I need you to try and keep it around here—don’t let it hurt you, but try and keep it occupied. I’m going to see if I can’t do a little more damage here.” And without another word, without looking to see the salute or the dark blur that was Yuri keeping himself occupied, Karol whipped around to haul himself up one of the ladders, up onto the rooftop.

Panting a little, Heron waved her blades in the air.

“Hey!” she shrieked, catching the attention of everyone and the giant starfish, “Over here, you slime-slurping hunk of lunch meat! Catch me if you can!” She almost got hit for that one but dodged at the last second, trying to keep it in the area, “Yuri, Captain’s got a plan—“ she paused to move, gritting her teeth with pain when the starfish screeched, “He wants us to keep it over here!”

“You got it!” Yuri called back to her and circled around to try and keep it in place.

Karol didn’t know what kind of plan the Hunting Blades had but they had their share of powerhouses and he didn’t miss Clint raising his blade to force the thing in the right direction with a roar.

“Clint! What are we—“ Nan began from somewhere to his right, but Karol couldn’t pay attention to that, so focused was he on finding the perfect moment, the perfect spot, the perfect space— he couldn’t screw this up, it 

“You heard him!” Clint bellowed back at her, so loudly that she nearly cringed, “You got a better plan? Then get it over there!”

“But sir—“

“Go!  _ Now! _ ” 

Even Nan obeyed when he spoke like that and she jumped back into the thick of it all, whipping her chakram back and forth like a deadly sort of boomerang.

And—there!

And Karol threw himself off the roof to just barely make his mark, landing on the star with a scramble, clinging on for all his might. It was big enough to stand on but thrashed about wildly, trying to shake him off with a horrific screech, slamming into buildings and homes and sending shingles and chunks of rubble flying. Still grasping onto it desperately with one hand, Karol gripped his ax with the other, heaved it over his head –it still took too much out of him to do that with just the one and he  _ hated _ it- and slammed it into orange exoskeleton, burying the blade in crackling shell and making the monster scream and flail around all the harder. 

It gave Cyrus what he needed, though, a relatively stable target and the man didn’t waste the chance he’d gotten, leaping in to thrust his lance straight into that blood red gem, a full force hit that sent tiny cracks spiraling out from the epicenter, then more, until it shattered into a shower of shards sharp as glass.

Several things happened all at once.

The monster let out a scream even louder than those in the desert and purple ooze spewed from the wound, dripping onto the ground in rivets to form puddles, slick and dangerous, and Karol went flying off of it to slam against a building and drop to the ground with a heavy thud, his weapon clattering down next to him.

“Boss!” he heard Jackson holler through all the static in his brain and all he could do in reply was wave a hand in the air,  _ focus on what you’re doing and quit worrying over me _ , until he managed to haul himself to his feet.

It took a few seconds to clear his head, seconds that he hated wasting, and Karol ignored all the questions about his health in favor of putting himself right back into the fray, clapping Heron on the shoulder on the way back in and just missed the wide-eyed, gratified stare she gave him in return. He’d need to remember to tell her that she did well, later, when this was all done.

The star’s movements were slower now and it was easier to hit and easier to dodge and just easier altogether and that was how Karol found himself fighting up next to Clint, matching and timing their blows without so much as looking at each other. It was surprisingly easy to do, made easier by the relative size and similarity of their weapons.

Karol’s head throbbed from his flight into the building and he paused just long enough to slam his ax into the ground, lighting up a green circle underneath his feet that made him feel energized and less like he wanted to fall over.

There would be a time, later when it wasn’t a matter of life or death, when Karol would wonder what world he was living in, when he’d be fighting alongside his old guild instead of against them, but that time wasn’t now.

“All of your guys doing okay?” Clint asked when he found the breath and the break in action, brief though it was, weaving in between starfish arms that would have been comical if not for the fact that they could very well kill and maim.

Karol glanced over at his former leader just long enough to give a short nod and yell “Yours?” before taking his bag off and spinning in the air to counter a rough attack. He skidded back a couple feet, but immediately jumped forward hefting his axe in an uppercut that pushed the starfish back double the distance it had just tossed him. 

Clint bounded up sending a shockwave from his sword pushing it back even further. “Heh, we’re not going to be taken down by the likes of this thing; you know that.” Heaving another attack the man glanced down the street and smirked as he looked at Karol. “I’ve got an idea. Come ‘ere.”

Yuri watched as Karol moved closer to Clint; the two exchanging short words between attacking and blocking. Something had changed in the older man; he wasn’t treating Karol the same way anymore. He didn’t have any of the usual judgment in his eyes. Instead, Clint was treating him as more of an equal. He wasn’t looking out for him, or down at him, or ignoring him; he was working  _ with _ him and treating Karol with every ounce of respect the kid deserved. 

From one guild leader to another guild leader. 

He would be lying if Yuri said he didn’t feel the slightest bit (or more,  _ way _ more) proud. They had all changed a lot during their initial journey together. Yuri knew he wasn’t the same person he had been a year or so ago, but Karol had definitely changed the most out of everyone. He had grown faster and more drastically than anyone and he knew it hadn’t been easy, but Karol never gave up.  Yuri always liked that about him.

Taking a quick break in his step Yuri looked around at the group; everyone seemed to be holding up well, but some were getting tired (their two newbies were breathing particularly heavy). It was getting to the point where they needed to kick this thing to the ground or the tide could turn against their favor. Seeing that Karol was looking around and nodding his understanding to whatever Clint was saying Yuri made his way over to Cyrus.

“Get Heron and Jackson over towards Karol; it looks like he and Clint have a plan.”

The lancer took a flying leap into the air; deflecting an attack and landed with a solid nod. “Got it. What about you?”

“Ah you know; I’m not really one for group chats. I’ll think of something to distract this thing.” He flashed his usual mischievous smile, but Cyrus must have been getting used to seeing it because he took off without another word (but there was definitely an eye roll). 

The group was getting closer together now; Clint and Karol respectively informing the group on their plan and Yuri took a quick moment to size up the situation. The starfish was oozing purple from just about everywhere and it had slowed considerably, but it could still pack a punch if you weren’t careful guarding. They had maneuvered the battle to the outskirts of town somewhere between the start of the desert and the outer rim of the oasis right near… 

_ Oh… _ he knew this place. He knew this place well. Not far off to his right, in a darker corner, the flattened road would break off and drop down into a pit. A pit he had used to his own advantage once before.

_ So that’s what their plan is. _


	2. Chapter 2

“Hey!” Yuri called out swinging his sword down the starfish’s back. He kicked out with his foot as he flipped in mid-air only to repeat the motion four more times in succession. “Let’s dance over here!”

He had been with Karol long enough to know what he was thinking during a battle at this point. In time, the others would be able to do so as well and be able to act without instructions, but until that time came it was up to Yuri to give Karol the time he needed to teach and lead. 

The monster rounded on him with a shout and Yuri back peddled a couple of paces before turning around completely to run forwards. He would give the group the chance to solidify their plan and act.

It wasn’t that hard to box the monster into the outskirts of town; what hadn’t been all that intelligent to start was made even less so with injury, and Karol found himself fighting side by side with Clint. It made sense strategically even if that hadn’t necessarily been planned, and with two heavy arms right in front, it wasn’t long before they were steering the starfish towards the sandy pit right before the desert, the one that Karol really didn’t like thinking too much about.

Still, it was convenient and useful and this was actually working – _ working!- _ even with Yuri’s legendary lack of luck.

Out of the corner of his eye, Karol spotted Heron doing laps around the monster, hooting at it and taking jabs and lashes with her swords at appropriate moments by turn; enthusiastic as she was, he could see her beginning to breathe heavily. After this was over, he was assigning her and Jackson both extra endurance training. If they were going to be going on more jobs like this, he had to sure that they’d be able to keep up without faltering.

Somehow, he had a feeling that Yuri and Cyrus would both enjoy overseeing such a thing.

Someone in the back, a Hunting Blade that he didn’t know the name of, yelped and dropped to the ground; Karol reached into his bag and tossed an apple gel behind him only to catch an inscrutable look from Clint.

“What?” he asked, preparing to go on the defensive, only to receive a shrug in reply.

“Less talking, more clobbering,” the older man growled at him and Karol shook off the weird and uncomfortable feeling that for the first time, they were actually fighting  _ together _ .

He raised his blade to bring it down, only to almost cut Nan’s arm from her shoulder. The girl had darted in from of him and Karol ducked to avoid her own blow, the weight of his ax sending him reeling a bit.

“Watch it!” she snarled and Karol felt no small bit of his own temper rise to the surface at the jab.

“Quit getting in the way, then!” he snapped back and hated how much effort it took to steady himself, how much effort it took to not say something childish, how much effort it took to not cringe away from her like he was in the habit of doing.

“Getting in the—“ she sputtered, “ _ You’re  _ in the way! This isn’t even your—“

“Shut  _ up _ !”

They didn’t have time for this! This was a job, not a—a playground squabble! Before Nan had a chance to respond, Karol was turning away from her and darting off to the other side of the monster. He couldn’t afford to fight with her here, not when they had so much to lose, not when he had so much to think about, not when she could still make him feel so  _ low  _ that he could barely think and focus.

And then suddenly, Cyrus was at his side, twirling his lance in his hands and looking dangerously excited about the entire battle.

“Y’alright, boss?” he asked knowingly, ducking in between Karol’s swings to land some hits of his own.

Karol clenched his jaw.

There wasn’t any time for this, he couldn’t think about this, he didn’t have the time or the energy or the space.

“I…I’m fine,” he replied and managed a grin just as the monster staggered in the right direction, “Almost there, you guys! Just a little more, okay? Let’s keep it up!”

There was a resounding cheer from both Vesperia and Blades alike, but that was followed by a distinct ‘che’. Karol ignored Nan as best he could; it wasn’t easy. It wasn’t easy at all, but right now he had other things that he needed to focus on. 

Yuri was glad that the group was pushing the starfish towards the sand pit and he was glad that they were going to be finishing this battle soon. But, (because there was always a but) what he wasn’t happy with was that he was between said soon-to-be-dead starfish and aforementioned quicksand pit.  

_ Really Karma? Of all the ways you’ve tried to get rid of me, this is your next big plan? _

Glancing around the area Yuri tried to find his best route around the monster, but the only path he could find that wouldn’t end in a horrible sandy death was  _ under _ the starfish. 

_ Of course… _

The ground behind him was only a few feet from ending and he could see Karol and Clint off to the left of the monster while the rest of the group had formed a ring around it. Everyone had fallen into a pattern. A few would jump forward to attack then before the starfish could retaliate they would jump back and the remaining people would come forward. It seemed to be working well, if not a little slowly. Some of the other hunting blades were slowing down along with Jackson and Heron, but Tison, Nan, and Cyrus were still holding strong. 

Tison was getting that look in his eyes; the bloody thirsty one that made Yuri’s skin crawl. “We’ve almost got this bastard where we want him!”

Cyrus paused his movements and looked around. Catching a glimpse of Yuri, who waved at him with a cheeky grin, his eyes went wide. “W…wait! Yuri’s behind there!”

“That’s his own problem.” Nan shouted above the piercing screams of the dying starfish. 

“Who’s side are you on?!” Jackson spat. “You’ve done nothing, but hinder the entire group this whole time! Your own team included!” 

Yuri could have sworn he heard Clint sigh. “Stuff it! All of you! Give him a chance to get out from behind there, and then we’ll end this.” 

Making a mental note to thank Clint later (never thought he’d be doing that) Yuri dug his feet into the sand waiting for the right moment to make his move. It was hard to find a good opening; between the starfish’s frantic movements and the alternating attacks from everyone. He’d either be getting crushed under a squishy pink leg or find a way through only to get impaled or kicked by a guild member.

_ Nothing for it… _

To his right the Hunting Blade with the bow shot a quick succession of arrows tossing the monster off balance and seeing his break to his right Yuri sprung forward headfirst under the monster’s foot sliding along some of its purple blood (he was going to throw those clothes out as soon as possible) as it reared up. Bounding to his knees he immediately turned and swung up with his sword catching the starfish’s leg. The beast wailed as its leg gave out forcing it to topple to one side.

Karol jumped at the opportunity heaving his axe behind him ready to golf swing the monster into the pit a few feet away. “This is it guys!”

Everyone saw the opening and everyone leapt at it to finish the battle once and for all, but no one could tell you when the starfish had gotten back on its feet.

It had figured out their plan.

It was with a piercing screech that the starfish flailed around without warning, lashing out with an arm to catch Yuri square in the chest and a Hunting Blade that Karol didn’t know the name of (he’d definitely need to start learning those is they were ever going to work together again), sending the both of them toppling over the edge right with the monster.

And everything went still.

Karol didn’t realize that he’d roared (not words, just a bellow of fear and rage) until he dropped his ax into the sand and lurched forward to grab the nameless man by the armor and shoulder just as Clint threw out a hand to grab Yuri by the ankle and physically toss him in the direction they’d all come, sending him flying to land in a cloud of dust and roofing shingles. Karol didn’t throw his rescuee but instead hauled him back up over the edge of the pit before dropping to his knees to watch the starfish sink into the pit.

He watched until it was gone and the only evidence that it had ever existed was the damage done to Mantaic and the surrounding area, and Karol could pretend that the shakes running through him was from adrenaline rather than fear. 

“Are you alright?” he managed to ask through heaving breaths. He could see Yuri sitting up already, disheveled and possibly a little embarrassed (and he should be, because Karol was going to have  _ words _ with him when he could think straight), and Cyrus was over there already to help him to his feet, absently dusting off his shoulders. The man he’d saved sat up and nodded shakily.

“Y-yeah,” he said, pale-faced, “Yeah, I’m alright.” He sounded almost like he couldn’t believe it. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Karol told him and stood, extending a hand to help the man to his feet, “We’re both in guilds, right? We should help each other. That’s how I feel about it.” No one got left behind on his watch; not Brave Vesperia, not even a Hunting Blade. He dusted himself off and a shadow fell over him. Karol looked up and realized that dead silence reigned and Clint had come up to approach him, taller and bigger and looming but somehow nowhere near as intimidating as he used to be.

Because now Karol had fought  _ with _ him and not against him and maybe now things could change for the better.

Clint wore an unreadable expression but after a moment, held out a hand.

“Thank you for helping him,” he said quietly, and Karol reached out to clasp his hand to give it a firm shake, stunned and just a little bit terrified that maybe the world was ending. Karol couldn’t hold back the wide smile that spread over his face once he realized that he didn’t just hallucinate that, that  _ Clint _ had actually said that, had actually  _ thanked _ him, slow as honey.

“Yeah,” he agreed just a little bit breathlessly voice high and tight and almost giddy, “You’re—you’re welcome.” Movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and Karol caught sight of Heron on her knees next to an injured guild member, just in time to watch her hand over an apple gel with an unexpectedly kind expression on her face. “Maybe…” he started and gulped when he had Clint’s full attention again, “Maybe after we get paid, we can go get a meal together. All of us.” The idea wasn’t as terrifying or as ludicrous as it would have been at any other time and Karol realized, suddenly, that things could really, really change. Somehow that made him want to run away more than the monster did. 

For a while, too long, there was a dead silence, until eventually, Clint raised a brow and shrugged. It would have looked noncommittal coming from anyone else, but from that guy? It was the equivalent of him jumping up and down and waving his arms in the air. The stupid grin Karol wore widened even further.

And then he turned to Yuri and directed a narrow-eyed glare in his direction before stomping off towards him, brain already filled with the perfect scolding.

Yuri gulped as he turned to see Karol coming at him with  _ that _ look on his face. Karol was still barely half his height, but he could be rather intimidating in his own short-kid-with-a-giant-axe kind of way. With visions (memories really) of giant weapons coming at his head Yuri grabbed Cyrus and planted him firmly down in front of him.

“Oh come on Yuri.” Cyrus said with an eye roll. “This didn’t work the last time you tried it.”

“Yeah well, worth a shot.” Yuri sighed as he stepped out from behind the lancer and put on the best innocent look he could muster. It really was the best he could do to try and lighten the situation up a bit. He was feeling a little more than slightly embarrassed at having been almost done in by a starfish that was nearly ninety-nine percent dead. He knew the stupid look on his face wouldn’t work, but sometimes it made Karol laugh when he was mad because no one would  _ ever _ believe Yuri’s innocent face. 

Then he was saved by the last voice he wanted to hear.

Nan put her chakram down with a clang and turned to Clint. “You’ve got to be kidding me? You’re thanking them? Mr. Co-founder over there almost got himself and one of ours killed!”

Yuri frowned and hung a hand around the back of his neck. “Sorry about that.” He looked at Clint and nodded. “Thanks for the save though. I owe you one.”

Clint nodded before he turned towards Nan. He crossed his arms and said evenly. “In turn Karol saved our man. Not to mention he came up with part of this plan. I didn’t know there was a quicksand pit out this way.”

“Oh? And you did?” Nan turned to Karol raising an eyebrow. “I’m surprised, you didn’t run away.”

“Our boss would never run away from anything like this!” Heron jumped up from the person she was tending to, her face now beat red. “What’s your problem? You’ve done nothing but harp on him since you laid eyes on us.”

Jackson made to take a step forward but Karol put a hand in the air to stop him. “I don’t do that anymore Nan. I’ve changed.”

“I can see that.” The girl put a hand on her hip and looked Karol up and down; her face unreadable. “Ever think about coming back to the Hunting Blades? We could use you.” 

Yuri felt a shock run up his spine and he was pretty sure his own surprise matched the looks on everyone else’s faces (although, no one could top the look of utter astonishment on Tison’s face). Despite it being the most backhanded compliment Yuri had ever heard, Nan was being completely serious. 

Even Clint looked surprised, if not a little angry (Yuri figured he wasn’t used to people making guild changing decision without conferring with him first). While he knew Nan never actually hated Karol, despite how terrible she always treated him, but the last thing he, or anyone else, would have expected was for her to swallow her pride and ask him back into the Hunting Blades. Without asking for permission first. In front of all these people. 

Nan might be crazier than he thought. 

Yuri looked at Karol. He didn’t know whether the look on Karol’s face was shock, pride, fear, or some kind of mixture of all of those with perhaps having to use the bathroom. He wouldn’t blame Karol at all if for wanting to divert the conversation or just run away. 

Karol did neither.

For a good thirty seconds, all Karol could do was stare Nan in the face and blink.

Once, twice.

For a second, he would have sworn that he’d misheard her. For all that he knew full well that she had feelings that ran deep outside of frustration and anger, it was so rare that she showed any of them around him that he could never quite expect it when it did happen. And for her to throw this at him, just like that at the drop of a hat when seconds earlier she’d been insulting him…

It wasn’t actually surprising when he thought about it. A little insulting, considering that she hadn’t actually consulted with Clint beforehand, but surprising? Not…not really. Speaking of Clint, the man himself now wore an expression like a thundercloud, eyebrows furrowed and jaw clenched, but he remained silent, as if waiting himself for an answer. Not happy about it but curious.

Karol shifted his gaze from Nan, to him, to Yuri, then back to Nan. He gulped.

Then…

“No,” he said eventually,  _ seriously _ , because for all her bravado she was being serious too, “I couldn’t, ever.”

His days of being in the Hunting Blades were long behind him and all Karol needed to do was look at Jackson off to his left bristling with indignation and Heron fluffed up with all the pomp she’d had stuffed into her by the knights and Cyrus, none of those things but instead calm and steady like he’d never had a single doubt to see it. These people—the new people and the old people and all the people loitering around the guild base gambling their pay away with cards and chips—were  _ his _ people.

They were crazy people, annoying people, rude people and unusual people and people who didn’t fit in anywhere else.

But they were his people.

And maybe they could work with the Hunting Blades, be friends and allies, but they’d never be his.

Not anymore.

“I’m with Brave Vesperia,” he told Nan, shifting a little bit to glance over at Yuri, “And I’ll be with Brave Vesperia until the day I die.”

The look of absolute disbelief on Nan’s face was indescribable. Frozen with a hand on her hip the girl stuttered with her words as if she had been slapped in the face. “W…why?” She paused a moment, her eyes narrowing, some of her usual sneer returning to her words. “I mean what else have you worked so hard for this past year and a half? I thought the only thing you wanted to do was get back into our guild. I’m saying you have the chance now. Take it.”

Karol began to shake his head, but he seemed to be at a loss for words. Yuri knew he was struggling right now. Half a year ago Karol wouldn’t have hesitated a heartbeat before jumping at the chance to join back up with Nan and Clint. He respected them and Yuri never faulted him for it; he himself might not agree with their philosophies, but they were talented people who did good work (most of the time.. when they weren’t being bull headed and arrogant).

Yuri couldn’t hold himself back. He turned to Nan and took a step toward her and crossed his arms over his chest. “Why are you making it sound like Karol’s taking the easy route here?” 

“Isn’t he?” Nan snapped. She sounded angry, but she looked hurt. “Its way easier to stay with the people that he’s already with isn’t it?”

“No. It’s not.” Yuri couldn’t help the waiver of held back anger in his voice. He didn’t want to make the situation worse, but she was making him sick to his stomach; between hurting Karol the way she was and being oblivious to the fact that she was doing so. “Karol has never said a bad word about you or any of the Hunting Blades the entire time I’ve known him, despite what you did to him. Despite the way you treat him whenever you see him. He respects all of you; especially you Nan. He’s known you far longer than he’s known any of us and he knew you long before he met me or anyone here.”

And Yuri did know some about the years before he met Karol. He had gotten to know his friend and both had shared various things about their pasts to each other and while he didn’t know  _ everything _ (because it always looked too painful for Karol to talk about) he did know that the reason why Karol had been in so many different guilds wasn’t his own fault.  Not if people taking pity on a child who didn’t want any was his fault. Not if he was to blame for those same people getting tired of dishing out their unneeded pity and tossing said kid to another group like an unwanted puppy.  

“I’m not saying this because he’s one of my closest friends, not to mention the leader of my guild, but because I think he’s made the harder choice by staying with us. It would definitely be easier to just pick up and go back to where he was, with people he knew and to work he was used to. Easier instead of staying with a new guild that barely has its walking legs, with new recruits who need to be trained, and with people he doesn’t know very well yet.”

Nan didn’t respond. Her wide eyed stare went uninterrupted as she shook her head in slight disbelief. 

Yuri just shrugged at her. “You said it yourself; the captain here has changed. Maybe you should take the time to see just how much he’s changed by at least hearing him out. If not that then maybe you should give him a chance in the future cause you certainly never gave him one in the past.”

Nan nodded, ever so slowly, and peeled her eyes away from Yuri to land on Karol. This time green settled on the teen softer and waiting. "So, Karol. Can you tell me...us why?"

Damnit, Yuri.

Karol held back a cursory swear when it became clear that Yuri couldn’t just let it go. Not that Karol was really going to  _ let it go _ per say, but he probably would have tried to reply with something a little less than outright antagonism, as hard as it was when he tried and tried and all he got in return were sharp edges. It was easier to be frustrated than it was to be hurt, and there was a pit inside him that was still hurt, that still felt so small, that still felt  _ not enough _ . And it wasn’t as dark as it used to be but it was still there, and Nan was all wrapped up in it.

Everyone was watching him now, Nan’s green eyes confused and hurt and Clint, stoic and steady Clint, stood silently like he was just as interested to hear what he had to say as everyone else. There was an unnatural stillness to him that looked to Karol like held back fury (with who? With him…with Nan? Karol didn’t know and didn’t want to find out) and still that inscrutable curiosity.

It almost made his stomach roll with the familiar feeling of something akin to stage fright, and there was that familiar feeling of needing to  _ run _ , to escape, to leave all of it behind.

But he couldn’t.

Karol took a step forward to move closer and as he passed Yuri, he lashed out a hand to swat him sharply in the side, rewarded with a satisfying “oomf!” from his friend and brother and teammate.

For about ten seconds, he could only look his –friend, former friend?- in the eyes, rolling everything that he wanted to say over in his head.

“Nan, I…” he started and avoided looking at Yuri entirely for fear that the words might not come, “I  _ can’t _ . It’s about what’s easier or harder. It’s about where I belong. Where I  _ fit _ . You guys were my family and you took me in when I needed it and you didn’t have to, and I won’t ever stop being grateful for that or for the things I learned with you, even if I let you down. But Brave Vesperia...Brave Vesperia is  _ mine _ . These guys—“ he made a wide, sweeping gesture that encompassed all the people standing around him, “These guys are always gonna have my back. Even Yuri, even when he’s being a busybody douchecanoe, and I wouldn’t be here without them. And trust me…” he trailed off long enough to draw in a breath, “I’m honored that you’d want me to come back. I  _ am _ , more than you know, and maybe a long time ago, that might have been something I wanted. But it’s not my place anymore and these guys…these guys are my place now.”

Behind him, Cyrus mimed a tear falling down his cheek and without looking away from the scene taking place in front of her, Heron gave him the most respectful nudge she could manage.

Nan drew in a shaky breath, her eyes dropping from Karol to the sandy ground. “I…I see. That makes sense.”

“Perhaps part of what Karol is trying to say,” Clint said putting a large hand on Nan’s shoulder; a strangely humble act for him. “Is that maybe he has given us a reason to have him back, but we have not given him a reason to come back to us.” 

“No, I guess we haven’t.” Nan, for the first time Yuri could ever remember, smiled. Maybe it wasn’t entirely a smile, it was more like a lip twitch and it was small and sad, but it wasn’t her normal scowl. “You really have grown up.” 

And with that Karol’s face went redder than his scarf. 

Yuri would have said something about Karol looking like a tomato (something mean and something that would have probably warranted another hit to the stomach) if he hadn’t been trying his best to keep back a giant grin from bursting across his face. He might have been slightly embarrassed to admit it, but he was proud. 

So incredibly proud. 

He might not have had any real siblings but he thought that this pride must be what older brothers feel when their younger brothers jump a hurdle in life all on their own. Yuri knew his friend was a ball of turmoil on the inside, but who wouldn’t be? The kid who used to shake in his boots at Egg Bears now had the guts to stand up to those he revered. And that was no mean feat.  Yuri knew that all too well; he had stood up to his friends, those he loved before and it was one of the hardest things he ever had to do and if Karol could do that, he could do anything.

With time because it always took time. Changing wasn’t something a person could do over night. It took step after step…or in Karol’s case stride after stride because he had come far from when Yuri ran into him in that forest looking for an Egg Bear.

Tison let out a sigh and shifted drawing the attention away from Nan and Karol. “Well well, Mr. Capel, not that we couldn’t have handled this without you and your guild it was…fun. But uh…who’s getting paid for this?”

Yuri rolled his eyes as he turned to the green clad man. “Well I can’t make the final call, but I think this was good practice for our new recruits don’t you Boss?”  

Karol couldn’t keep back the broad grin that swept over his face when Tison –Tison of all people!- actually acknowledged him outside of being the annoying, useless one.

“Yeah, it was fun!” he replied, ignoring the bit about being able to handle it all themselves entirely, “It was definitely a job well done.”

Speaking of jobs well done, Yuri…kind of had a point, actually. How were they going to do this?

Karol roved a scrutinizing stare over the huffing newbies behind him and had to hold back the bubble of laughter when Heron met his eyes, gulped, and abruptly straightened up like her spine had been replaced with a pole. Jackson didn’t bother, responding to the unspoken agreement with a gallic shrug. No point in denying it, really, and they all knew it.

It  _ was _ good practice, no doubt about that, and the way they’d been able to work together as two guilds for the same goal…that was worth much more than any payday. Really, he  _ should _ demand that the client pay the both of them. You book two guilds, you ought to pay two guilds.

Karol narrowed his eyes and made a quiet humming noise under his breath, before cocking his head and side-eyeing Clint.

“Personally, I think that the two of us ought to have a little chat with our client about what happens when you double-book busy guilds for the same job, don’t you think?”

Both of Clint’s brows went skyward and for just a second, he looked dangerously close to legitimately being amused. Then he went stoic again and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I think that’s a fantastic idea.” He gave his blade a jaunty little spin that couldn’t look anything but menacing. “I’ve got a few things to say to the guy.”

Okay, so maybe this might be a bit mean, Karol thought to himself, but it could always be meaner.

And this way, they could be sure that it wouldn’t happen again.

Everyone was looking between the two leader’s waiting for their word. Clint turned towards town hefting his blade to rest on his shoulder. “The guy’s in a house near the oasis right? Let’s get going.”

Yuri watched as Karol walked next to Clint leading the large, strangely mixed group, back into town. Between monstrous Clint and tiny Karol with his monstrous axe the guy who signed the two guilds was going to be in for quite a shock. 

“I just hope they don’t give the guy a heart attack before they get paid.” Yuri said casting a glance at Cyrus to his left. 

The lancer snickered under his breath, but froze as Karol turned to look at the two of them. “Better watch it, Yuri. I think the chief’s already gunning for you.”

“Well there’s nothing new.” Yuri sighed dramatically as he waved at Karol who turned around with a blatant eye roll. Turning back to Cyrus crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you have any idea what the hell a douchecanoe is?”

“Got me.” Cyrus ran a hand through his hair as a grin burst across his face. “I could probably give you a couple synonyms though.”

Behind him Yuri heard Heron giggle. 

As they arrived at the small house Karol knocked on the door lightly and stepped back to wait. When no one answered Clint took a fist and pounded to door causing it to rattle and crack on its hinges. Karol raised an eyebrow at Clint who just shrugged. 

“We’re here to set this guy straight right? Sometimes you need to get them to shake in their boots before they see you.”

Karol nodded. “Roar loud before revealing your size. Monsters use that tactic.”

Clint opened his mouth to respond but the door opened and a tall, balding man stepped out. Upon seeing the large group at his doorstep he paled. “You must be the guild I solicited to.”

“Guild _ s _ actually.” Karol said stressing the ‘S’. “May we come in?”

The man squeaked. “ _ All _ of you?”

“No.” Clint pushed past the man and held open his front door. “Karol and I are the leaders of the two guilds you somehow managed to double book. Now, shall we?” 

With a nervous nod the man followed Clint into his house and Karol brought up the rear closing the door behind him. Yuri almost felt bad for the guy. Almost. Leaning up against the side of the house he watched the door; he really wanted to go watch, but this was Karol’s gig. 

“Aren’t you technically a leader of Brave Vesperia too?”

Yuri jumped a little and turned to face Nan who had somehow snuck up behind him. “Technically? Yes, but Karol’s the real captain. He’s the one that proposed we start the guild in the first place.” Yuri grinned at her. “Besides, I’m not good at being in charge of stuff.”

“No you’re just lazy.” Cyrus interjected from across the street.

Yuri shrugged.

Nan stared at the sandy road. “Karol’s a really good leader, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he is.” Yuri looked at her. “He wasn’t always, but he’s learning and he’s learning fast. He just needed the chance to find that out for himself.”

“We never gave it to him.” Nan said sadly. “That chance, I mean. He had already been in so many guilds before he joined the Hunting Blades no one ever thought giving him a chance would do any good.” 

Yuri frowned. “Well, what’s done is done, but no one’s saying that this is the last time you’ll see him. Karol’s made his choice about his guild, but I don’t think he’d ever just toss you, or any of the Hunting Blades, aside. You’ll just have to give him the chance to show you what he’s become.”

Nan nodded as the door swung open and Karol and Clint stepped back out into the street. “Yes, we will.” Turning the girl strode up to the two guild leaders and Yuri watched as Karol talked quietly with her and Clint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I miss writing these guys. Hope you all enjoyed! Thanks for reading =)

**Author's Note:**

> And part one! I think the weirdest part of writing all of this is that I sort of don't mind Clint as much anymore. Still hate Nan, though. 
> 
> Thanks for reading so far! -Siri


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